Chapter 122: In the Bathroom with Madam Uehara

I do not know what holiday it is today, but the moment the train arrived, Haruhi Haruno hesitated.

A quick glance revealed no beautiful young girls crowded inside; instead, it was packed with dejected middle-aged men. It looked as if a major corporation had just undergone massive layoffs—those wicked capitalists!

I’ll have to give that detestable young lady a piece of my mind when I get home tonight!

To see Mrs. Uehara as quickly as possible, Haruno hailed a taxi. Time is money, after all. Every second must be cherished.

Arriving at the familiar street, the weather had long since cleared. Sunlight bathed the ground, and the thin layer of silver frost was slowly melting away. Puddings formed on the road like clear mirrors, reflecting the handsome youth’s face in the rippling water.

Tucked away in the corner of the shopping street was a small convenience store.

"Welcome."

A gentle voice rang out.

As they looked up, both were startled, yet their eyes shimmered with intense excitement and agitation. Everything was understood without words. Today, Mrs. Uehara wore her hair in a braid, clad in a beige sweater that clung to her figure. Whether it was the heat inside the store or the fact that she had just finished moving boxes, a light sheen of sweat glistened on her forehead.

Her braid fell over her chest, and the faint eyeliner on her slightly foxy eyes framed a gaze filled with endless tenderness.

The "Closed" sign hung on the door again. A cold breeze blew, fluttering the white card, on which the delicate, elegant handwriting of Yoshiko Uehara could be seen.

"Hah, hah!"

Haruno took a deep breath, thoughtfully helping the lady who had been slumped over the counter stand up, then gently wiped the sweat from her forehead with his hand. Even though it was winter, both of them were sweating profusely.

"Yoshimi, I missed you so much~"

The young man whispered sweet nothings, planting kisses on the lady's snow-white neck.

"Mmm, I feel so uncomfortable. Let’s go take a bath first."

Although Yoshimi Uehara enjoyed these moments, the sweat on her skin made her feel sticky. As she spoke, she pulled away from Haruno’s embrace, smoothing her sweater back down to her waist. She turned around, her cheeks flushed, her eyes brimming with deep affection.

"Go take a bath. If you walk out in this weather all sweaty, you’ll easily catch a cold," Yoshimi said softly, reaching out to wipe the sweat from Haruno’s brow as well. "Yoshiko isn't home today."

Inside the apartment building, in a pool made of blue stone, bubbles filled the water.

The handsome man leaned back, his entire body submerged. His well-defined chest muscles, visible above the water, left no doubt that he was a man who loved to exercise. Haruno lay there with a white towel draped over his forehead, his arms resting on the edges, looking completely at ease and comfortable.

There’s nothing like soaking in a large bath. Perhaps I should consider renting the room next to my own, knock down the wall, and expand my small living space. I’m sure Mrs. Momotani would agree to that.

When he arrived at the Uehara residence, Yoshimi stood at the bathroom door holding two white bathrobes, looking at Haruno with longing eyes. Her intentions could not have been clearer.

"Yoshimi, would you like to go first, or should I?"

Haruno began to play dumb. He kept the story’s potential outcome in mind—if he bathed with her, the momentary pleasure would be followed by a massive headache.

"Then... then you go first," Yoshimi hesitated, a look of awkwardness crossing her face as she handed him the robe.

"Alright, Yoshimi." Haruno took the robe, flashed a grin, and walked inside.

Yoshimi watched the bathroom door close and remained standing there, as if lost in thought.

"I love bathing, it’s so good for my skin," Haruno hummed to himself, standing up from the blue stone pool with delight.

Clear water trickled down his smooth skin and the contours of his toned muscles, exposing a near-perfect physique to the air. Haruno admired himself with satisfaction. *Not bad, not bad at all.* He hadn't used any shortcuts for his physique; it was all the result of self-discipline and exercise. He was quite proud of that.

Just as he was about to rinse off, a door opened behind him.

He turned around.

Mrs. Uehara had pushed open the bathroom door and stepped inside. Her chestnut hair was pinned up, and her delicate face seemed to have a touch of makeup, making her look even more stunning. She was wrapped in only a white bathrobe, which looked as though it might burst open at any moment.

As she entered, the scorching steam flushed her cheeks even redder. The white mist clinging to her face made her already smooth skin look even more radiant.

"Yo, Yoshimi, why are you here?" Haruno felt a sudden wave of shyness, his large hands not knowing whether to cover his private parts. A cold draft blew through the open door, leaving him feeling exposed.

Yoshimi smiled, gave the bashful young man a sidelong glance, and then shut the door behind her. The moment the door clicked shut, Haruno felt as if he were about to lose something—something called innocence and chastity.

"Haruno-kun, let me scrub your back." Yoshimi smiled, walking over to him and taking a moment to appraise his lean, youthful body.

"Yoshimi, I can do it myself." Haruno felt a lingering fear; the ending of that story path was truly terrifying.

*[The Beautiful Proprietress:]*
*[Story Start:]*
*[For a long time, you and Yoshimi Uehara maintained this relationship, even though you knew it was wrong.]*
*[Paper cannot wrap fire. Finally, one day, in the bathroom of the Uehara home, your relationship with the proprietress was discovered by Yoshiko Uehara. In an instant, the world seemed to collapse.]*
*[Seeing the scene in the bathroom, Yoshiko Uehara could not accept it, while you began to dress in embarrassment.]*
*[Faced with the choice between love and family, Yoshimi Uehara fell into painful conflict. You, too, felt regret—not for your affair with Mrs. Uehara, but for why you hadn't spent more time building a bond with Yoshiko? If you had established a good relationship with her, perhaps she wouldn't have been unable to accept it?]*
*[You spent your time playing with Mrs. Uehara, neglecting to cultivate a bond with Yoshiko (future plot requires Favorability Level 80 to unlock).]*

The problem was, he hadn't planned on cultivating a relationship with Yoshiko yet. At most, he had tutored her a few times.

Should he just tell her later?
"Yoshiko, your teacher wants to change his status with you."
"Oh? What would you like to change to, teacher?"
"Your stepfather."
*Hiss*, that actually doesn't sound impossible!

Even though he hadn't intentionally tried to capture her, his charisma, which transcended human limits, was already at play. It had been influencing everyone around him invisibly. The pile of love letters in his shoe locker every day was a testament to that.

Perhaps Yoshiko could accept it.

"How can you scrub your own back? Let me help." Yoshimi pulled over a small stool and sat him down. She lathered her hands with soap and began to rub his back gently.

Her cool, soft hands roaming over his back felt wonderful. Since it had come to this, he couldn't just push her away. If he couldn't change the outcome, he might as well enjoy the present.

*Maybe it won't happen this time.*

Yoshimi didn't make any other moves; she simply knelt there, scrubbing his back with great care. Her technique was a bit clumsy—clearly, this was her first time doing such a thing.

Slowly, his back was clean, and his dry hair had become damp from the steam. His charm seemed to have increased even further. Cool water rinsed away the excess bubbles, and the lady's hands remained pressed against his skin, which was so smooth it made her, a woman, feel a pang of envy.

Well, high charisma scores weren't just about looks and temperament—skin quality was part of it, too. Smooth, supple skin was a staple of high charm.

After washing his back, she began to rub his shoulders to help his muscles relax. Haruno tilted his head back, using the lady’s ample bosom as a pillow, and closed his eyes in pure comfort.

"Little rascal." Yoshimi’s face flushed an even deeper red, her eyes unable to stop lingering on him.

As she kneaded, Haruno suddenly grabbed her soft, small hands.

A glimmer of delight flashed in Yoshimi’s eyes, though she still asked, "What is it, Haruno? Did I hit a sore spot?"

"It felt great, but there are some places that really don't feel right."

Not giving her a chance to react, he untied the robe she was wearing. It slipped away, immediately soaked by the water.

"Oh, Haruno..."

He stood up, firmly turning her beautiful, slender frame around.

"Haruno, what are you doing? We're in the bathroom."

"Isn't this what you were waiting for, Yoshimi?" Haruno grinned.

Outside, the cold wind howled, but inside the house—especially in the bathroom, shrouded in dreamy steam—it was incredibly warm.

Suddenly, Haruno and Yoshimi both froze. They heard a sound coming from the living room.

"Haruno-onii-san, where are you?"

...

"Yoshiko, we're at your house, so we'll head off now!"

Outside the Uehara convenience store, several young girls said their goodbyes.

After waving farewell to her best friends, Yoshiko Uehara turned to look at their shop, feeling a bit confused. "Eh, why is it closed again today?"

"Whatever, I'll just go home. Maybe Mom is there."

Yoshiko shook her head and skipped toward the apartment building next door. She took out her key and opened the door, but she immediately noticed something wrong—there was a pair of men's shoes in the entryway!

*Could Haruno-onii-san be here?*

Thinking of this, Yoshiko excitedly dashed into the apartment.

"Mom? Haruno-onii-san? Where are you?"

She called out, but the living room was empty. It didn't even look like anyone had been sitting there. It was strange, but then she heard the sound of running water. She walked over and realized someone was in the bathroom.

"Mom? Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me. Yoshiko, why are you home so early?"

The voice from the bathroom was intermittent, muffled by the sound of the shower.

"Hehe, our club activity ended early! So I came back!" Yoshiko said happily. "Oh, by the way, is Haruno-onii-san here?"

There was a pause before the reply came from the bathroom.

"Mmm... yes. Your Haruno-onii-san just finished his bath and is waiting for you in your bedroom!" Yoshimi said.

"Really!! Wait, no, how could he go into my bedroom by himself? I haven't tidied it up!" As she spoke, Yoshiko seemed to realize something, and she zipped through the living room, stepped onto the stairs, and bolted up to her second-floor bedroom.

As footsteps echoed from the stairs on the other side of the living room, the bathroom door cracked open.

A figure in a t-shirt and trousers ran out. His short, professional-looking black hair was still damp; he hadn't even had time to dry it.

Haruno ran straight toward the kitchen in the corner of the living room. It’s great to have a big house—there are so many places to go.

"Hmm? Why isn't he here?"

Just as Haruno ran into the kitchen, Yoshiko’s voice drifted down from the second floor.

"Haruno-onii-san isn't in my room!"

Her innocent little head popped out from the top of the stairs, blinking her large eyes as she called down.

"Are you looking for me, Yoshiko?"

At that moment, Haruno emerged from the kitchen, holding a towel and drying his hair.

"Ah? Haruno-onii-san, so you were here!" Yoshiko scurried back down the stairs. "Why didn't you answer when I called you earlier?"

"I was just seeing if you could find me." Haruno flashed a mysterious smile. "I didn't answer on purpose, but I didn't expect you to run all the way to the second floor."

"Ah~ so that's it." Yoshiko pouted.

"Hahaha." Seeing that she actually believed him, Haruno laughed, walked over to the sofa, and plopped down.

He casually began eating fruit from a platter and even commanded Yoshiko, who was standing there, "Yoshiko, go get me a bottle of water. I was unloading cargo outside earlier, and I felt sticky and parched. I'm dying of thirst."

With that one sentence, he had intentionally, yet casually, explained to Yoshiko why he had been taking a bath.